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TERRAS: Injury worries for Matthews after defeat

WEYMOUTH’S injury woes continue to show no signs of letting up with Ashley Wells becoming the latest casualty.

The full-back was forced off with a groin problem during Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at St Albans City and could face six weeks on the sidelines.

With Ben Joyce also out for at least a fortnight with shin splints and Mark Ford still some way off returning from a broken foot, it has left the Terras struggling for numbers ahead of tomorrow night’s home clash with Burnham (7.45pm).

Niall Thompson also picked up a knock against the Saints while Carl McClements remains a doubt after a spell out through illness.

Weymouth player-manager Jason Matthews told Echosport: “We are down to the bare bones but we will keep fighting.

“There is no point in getting down about it, we just need to deal with it the best we can.

“We have got two home games coming up and we will be going all out to try and get the six points.”

Matthews was very disappointed with the defeat at Clarence Park at the weekend and, in particular, the space that was afforded to John Frendo, who grabbed two of the Saints’ three goals.

He added: “We spoke about a few things before the game but we did not do them.

“John Frendo is probably the best striker in the league and we gave him too much time.

“When you do that and allow a player of that quality so much space they tend to punish you, and that is exactly what he did with two good finishes.

“At 3-0 down at half-time we had a mountain to climb, however, we didn’t roll over this time and I thought after the break we put up a much better fight.

“I am disappointed and there are things I need to address but they are not things I didn’t already know.

“With the constraints of the budget at the moment, I have to try and work with what we have got and we will be training hard to put it right.

“The long and short of it is that we were beaten by a stronger side, although at the same time we didn’t help ourselves.”

Luke Winsper failed a late fitness test before Saturday’s loss, which handed a debut to Steve Colwell, who only joined the Terras last Friday on dual registration forms from Plymouth Parkway.

Matthews said: “Losing Luke was a blow but Steve came in and did well considering it was his first start at this level.

“He gave everything he had in midfield, as did Adam Kelly and George Rigg, but Stewart Yetton is feeding off scraps at the moment and we clearly need to address that.

“I know where we have got to strengthen and we are doing our utmost to do that, but it may not be able to happen this season.”

The Terras now sit 12th in the Calor Southern Premier Division but are only two points adrift of the top eight.

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